Marblehead, founded in 1629, is an historic, scenic seacoast town. Originally focused in fishing and the shoe industry, it has become a beautiful, residential community with some minor industry, and quaint shops, but principally a yachting resort town. Residents and visitors can enjoy the magnificent harbor and its variety of sailing, fishing, lobster and pleasure boats. Marblehead’s location, beauty and history make it a great choice to visit or to live.
Location
Marblehead is located in Essex County in eastern Massachusetts. It is bordered by Salem on the southwest, Swampscott on the south, and the Atlantic Ocean on the west, north, and east. Marblehead was once a part of Salem.
Marblehead is less than 15 minutes from the towns of Salem, Lynn, and Peabody. It is located 3.3 miles away from Swampscott, 4.5 miles away from Beverly, and 6.6 miles away from Nahant. Marblehead is 19 miles northeast of Boston; 22 miles southeast of Lawrence; 92 miles south of Portland, Maine; and 243 miles from New York City.
Airports
The closest major airport serving Marblehead is General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport, located in Boston, 14 miles away. Logan Airport is one of the 20 busiest airports in the U.S., with 22 million passengers and 43 airlines.
Laurence G Hanscom Field is about 30 miles away in Bedford MA. Hanscom’s two runways accommodate all business needs, and provide an alternative to Boston's Logan Airport. Pease International Tradeport is located about 40 miles away from Marblehead, in Portsmouth NH.
The closest airport to Marblehead is Beverly Municipal Airport. Located approximately 7 miles away in Beverly, MA, it is a reliever facility with 3 runways. Plum Island Airport is about 20 miles away in Newburyport, MA and Lawrence Municipal Airport is about 24 miles away in Lawrence, MA.
Terrain
Marblehead has a total area of 19.6 square miles. 4.5 square miles of it is land and 15.1 square miles of it is water. The total area is 76.92 percent water. The ponds in Marblehead include Ware Pond, Black Joe Pond, Flag Pond, Redds Pond, Oliver Pond, and Bobby Harris Pond.
Marblehead has a unique geographic location. It is comprised of a rocky peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean with a stretch of land that is connected to the main town by a sand bar. This ring of land forms the outline of a sheltered deep harbor.
Population
Marblehead has a population of 20,401. The average family income in Marblehead is $99,840.
The population in Marblehead is well educated. For those 25 years and over in Marblehead, 96.4% are high school graduates, 61.5% have a bachelor's degree and 25.7% have a graduate or professional degree. Unemployment is low at 2.1%.
Jobs
The main industries providing employment in Marblehead are include Educational, Health and Social Services (21.5%), Professional, Scientific, Management, Administrative (18%), Finance, Insurance, Real Estate (12.5%), and Retail Trade (10.4%).
Marblehead is the main business address for First Marblehead Corporation (Personal Credit Institutions).
The average travel time to work in Marblehead is 33 minutes.
Colleges/Universities
There are many excellent colleges serving the Marblehead area.
Salem State College is about 3 miles away in Salem, MA, and has an enrollment of 5,917.
Others colleges and universities nearby include North Shore Community College, about 8 miles away in Danvers, MA with an enrollment of 3,663; Bunker Hill Community College, about 17 miles away in Boston, MA, with an enrollment of 3,638; Suffolk University, about 17 miles away in Boston, MA, with an enrollment of 5,291; Emerson College, about 18 miles away in Boston, MA, with an enrollment of 3,697; Tufts University, about 18 miles away in Medford, MA, with an enrollment of 8,627; and University of Massachusetts-Boston, about 19 miles away in Boston, MA, with an enrollment of 9,248.
Housing
The average price of a home in Marblehead is $446,846. Prices can range from $240,000 to $3 Million. There are many housing types available including single family homes, waterfront homes, historic homes, town homes and condominiums.
Historic Places of Interest
Marblehead has the largest number of homes from the 1700s in the entire country. More than 200 of its homes were built before the Revolution and more than 800 before 1830.
A major attraction in Marblehead is the Historic District, with its quaint streets, and its Colonial, Georgian, Federal and Victorian buildings, shops, and homes.
Some of the Historical Sites to be found in Marblehead include the Marblehead Historical Society, Abbot Hall, Fort Sewall, Jeremiah Lee Mansion, and King Hooper Mansion. Fort Sewall overlooks the harbor and is the fort which offered the USS Constitution, Old Ironsides, safe harbor when she was being chased by British ships.
Parks/Sports/Recreation/Golf
There is a large amount of ‘green’ space in Marblehead. There are over 12 public parks and conservation areas and many walking trails and bike paths throughout the area.
Crocker Park has a public swimming float.
Devereux Beach is Marblehead's largest public beach.
Seaside Park and Fitness Trail offers baseball, soccer, tennis and hiking.
Marblehead’s coast is dotted with many small, charming beaches and coves.
Crowninshield Island, also known as Brown's Island, has a good sandy beach at low tide, and is a favorite among the tourists and locals.
Tedesco Golf Club, in Marblehead, is a private 18 hole course. This club hosted the 1993 Massachusetts State Championship, and is bordered on both sides by the Atlantic Ocean.
Marblehead offers a wealth of recreational activities. It has 11 tennis courts, 7 playgrounds and 8 baseball diamonds. There is hockey, soccer, football and other organized teams. There are 4 ice skating ponds, a bird sanctuary and many acres of conservation land.
Marblehead, with its extraordinarily beautiful harbor, is known as one of the yachting capitals of the world, and pleasure boating is one of its most popular recreational activities.
Special Attractions/Events
Marblehead’s yacht clubs include the Eastern Yacht Club, Marblehead Light, Boston Yacht Club, Corinthian Yacht Club, and Dolphin Yacht Club.
Places worth visiting in Marblehead include Abbot Hall, Abbott Public Library, Hooper Mansion, Jewish Community Center, Hearth and Eagle House, Grand Army of the Republic Museum, and the Central Fire Station. Children’s Island is just outside Marblehead Harbor.
Marblehead’s Old North Church is home to performances by Symphony by the Sea. Now in its 25th season, this is an all-professional, 35-piece symphony orchestra based in the North Shore of Boston that performs music ranging from Bach to Bernstein.
The Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary is also an impressive attraction, with the migrating warblers that stop there every spring and fall.
The original famous painting, "The Spirit of '76", is housed in Marblehead’s Abbot Hall.
Marblehead offers numerous events in the course of the year, including jazz concerts, tall ships cruise, regatta and race week, Christmas walk, the week-long art festival, indoor and outdoor music concerts, and “The Great Picnic”.
Interesting Facts
The sailors of Marblehead, under General John Glover are acknowledged as the forerunners of the American Navy. Marblehead is known as the "Birthplace of the American Navy".
Marblehead is the birthplace of Elbridge Gerry, lawyer, and Congressman from Maine, infamous for political gerrymandering. Other notable residents are Estelle Parsons, the actress; General John Glover, who carried Washington across the Delaware; US Supreme Court Justice, Joseph Story; and Olympic gold medallist, Tyler Hamilton.
A large percentage of the town became involved very early on in the fight for American freedom.
Marblehead was given its name by the early settlers, who mistook the granite deposits they found there for marble.
The first colonial slave ship was built in Marblehead.
The 1730 smallpox epidemic devastated the town, killing most of its board of selectmen.
Marblehead was the filming location for the 1987 movie, "The Witches of Eastwick".
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